Today, ATPE submitted formal comments in support of a proposed amendment to a State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) rule pertaining to educator preparation program admissions. In response to ATPE's testimony, at its May 2 board meeting, SBEC voted to raise the minimum grade point average (GPA) requirement for students entering an educator preparation program in Texas. Currently, students must have a 2.5 GPA to enter an educator preparation program; the board proposed an amendment to 19 TAC Chapter 227.10, which raises the minimum GPA requirement to 2.75. (Existing exceptions to the GPA requirement in current rule will remain in effect under SBEC's amendment.) ATPE has long advocated for raising the standards for entrance into the education profession to ensure that new teachers are well-prepared to deal with the pressures of classroom teaching. Minimum GPA requirements help ensure that future teachers—especially those pursuing alternative certification where they are employed as a teacher of record almost immediately and before taking their certification exams—have the necessary content knowledge foundation to help them become successful teachers. The board is scheduled to vote on final adoption of the rule change at its August meeting. Read ATPE's full remarks here: ATPE Comments on SBEC GPA Rule Change—July 2014.